Change-speed gear.



PATENTED OCT. 3, 1905.

Nooomg.

H. DE RUTY.

CHANGE SPEED GEAR.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.11,1905.

FIGJ

ENCE.

HENRI DE RUTY, OF MACON, FRANCE.

CHANGE-SPEED GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1905.

Application filed April ll, 1905. Serial No. 254,972.

T0 (all wlw/r1, it Vntf/,y concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI Dn RUTY, a citizen of France, residing at Macon, Sane-et- Loire, France, have invented new and useful Improvements in Change Speed Gear, of which the following is a specication.

rlhe arrangement or' change speed gear forming the subject of the present invention is applicable to different mechanisms driven by cranks, and has for its object to give to these mechanisms diii'erent speeds according as the cranks are operated in one or the other direction, the mechanism running nevertheless always in the same direction. rIhe accompanying drawings representits application to a bicycle-crank bracket, in which- Figure l is a face view oi' the arrangement, and Fig. 2 is an axial section thereof.

The crank-bracket p and the crank-axle a are in no way changed. The whole ofthe mechanism is carried bythe crank Z) and by the frame of the machine. On the crank is iixed a ring c, on which turn the two wheels Z and c. The larger of these wheels CZ is that which carries the driving-chain. It is connected to the ring c by means of ball-clutch mechanism e', of known construction, (shown in dotted lines at Fig. 1,) which permits it to be driven only in one direction by the crank-namely, in the forward motion, as indicated by the arrow 7L. The wheel Z is provided with an internally-toothed ring f.

rIhe wheel c, smaller than the ring f, is externally toothed to the same pitch as the ring. It is connected to the ring c by ball-clutch mechanism 7' of similar' form to that marked c', but arranged in reverse direction, so that it can be driven by the crank only in the opposite direction to that of the arrow L. The toothed rings c and f both gear with a small pinion g, the axle of which rotates in ballbearings within a sleeve fixed by collars ZZ to the arms my m of the frame. It results from these arrangements that when the cyclist operates the pedals directlythat is to say, inthe forward direction (indicated by the arrow /L)-the wheel d is rotated in the same direction and at the same speed. The wheel c is driven in the contrary direction by the intermediate pinion g; but it rotates loosely on the ring c and produces no action. WIhen the cyclist back-pedals-.that is to say, rotates the pedals in the direction contrary to the arrow-it is the wheel c which is driven and which by the intermediate pinion g drives the chain-wheel Z in the direction of the arrow, as in the first case, but with a reduced speed in the proportion of the toothed wheels c and f.

rlhe mode of mounting above described permits the ready adaptation oi' the mechanism to existing bicycles and the retention of the line of chain. It suiiices, in fact, to lixthe crank 7), provided with its wheels CZ and e, in the position of the old crank and to mount the sleeve 7c, carrying the pinion g, on the arms m oi' the frame. This mounting is rendered very easy by the arrangement ot' the sleeve le, which can slide in the collars n, thus enabling the latter to be placed at the distance required by the arms fm. and to bring the pinion g exactly to its proper position.

The arrangements above described will necessarily be varied according to the applications of the invention. For instance, several intermediate pinions similar to g might be placed between the tooth-wheels e and f. these pinions rotating on axles equally distributed around the main axle a.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, ism

l. In a change-speed gear for mechanisms driven by cranks, the combination with the cranks, toothed wheels, reversely-arranged clutch mechanisms operatively connecting the one or the other of the wheels with the cranks according to the direction in which the cranks are rotated and a pinion coupling the two wheels so that they rotate in contrary directions, one of the wheels being largerl than the other and said larger wheel driving the mechanism, substantially as described.

2. vIn change-speed gear for bicycles, the combination with the cranks and their hub, oi' the two toothed wheels of diiiierent size mounted on the hub, means for operatively connecting one or the other of said wheels to the cranks, a support, a sleeve carried in the support and an intermediate pinion carried in said sleeve, said pinion engaging with both wheels.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRI DE RUTY. lVitnesses:

GASTON YEAUNIAMS, Trios. N. BRowNn.

IOO 

